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ANTICHRIST DETECTED,

A SERMON,

PREACHED IN

ST. THOMAS'S CHURCH, BIRMINGHAM,

BY THE

REV. WILLIAM MAESH, D.D.

RECTOR.

PUBLISHED BY REQUEST.— ANY PROFIT TO BE APPROPRIATED TO A CHARITY.

LONDON :
HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND Co. AND B. WERTHETM.

BIRMINGHAM :
T. RAGG AND Co. 16, SPICEAL STREET.

isli.

Digitized by tine Internet Archive

in 2007 witii funding from

IVIicrosoft Corporation

littp://www.arcliive.org/details/anticliristdetectOOmarsricli

TO THE CONGREGATION

OF

ST. THOMAS'S CHURCH, BIRMINGHAM.

My dear Friends,

Suffering from temporary blindness, I have of
late been obliged to preach without notes ; but, at your
request that it should be printed, I have dictated the
substance of my Sermon on Antichrist. The above
must be my apology for any inaccm-acies. I make, how-
ever, no apology for my subject. Though redeeming love
be the theme on which I deUght to dwell, yet I feel it to
be my bounden duty to guard my people against self-
deception, and any prevailing error of the present day.

The signs of the times are not to be overlooked, and
as the victory of the truth approaches, the enemy of the
truth wiU assume every form to deceive the imwary.
Happy are they who are preserved in the simplicity of
the Gospel. My prayer for you is, that being justified
by Faith, you may have peace with God, bear fruit unto
hoHness, and have for your end everlasting peace.

I am.

Your affectionate Friend,

WILLIAM MARSH.

ANTICHRIST.

" Little children, it is the last time : and as ye have
heard that Antichnst shall come, even now are there
many Antichrists ; whereby we know that it is the last
time.

" TJiey went out from us, hut they were not of us ;
for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have
continued with us : but they went out, that they might
be made manifest that they were not all of us.''

1 Johnii. 18, 19.

"WHEN this fair world rose out of chaos, and man,
formed in the image of his Maker, was invested
with dominion " over all the earth," " The morning stars
sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy ;"*
even the Lord himself looked down from Heaven upon
every thing that He had made, and " behold it was very
good." Had man continued holy, he would have con-
tinued happy ; but an enemy was at hand. Satan, the
leader of tiiat rebel host of angeLs who kept not their
first estate, beguiled Eve tln:ough his subtlety, and thus
human natiure became subject to the arch deceiver.

* Job xzzTiii. 7.

6

From that first offence in Paradise commenced the fear-
ful conflict still carried on between the powers of light
and darkness^ that is, between Chiist and Satan. I say
between Christ and Satan, because, in the threatening
against the tempter, and before our first parents were sent
forth to experience the bitter fruits of their transgression,
a deliverer was promised who should destroy the power
of the enemy ; "I will put enmity between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed and her seed ; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."*

The Most High, having thus revealed the plan of
mercy, by which he could uphold the honour of his
moral government, and yet provide salvation for rebel-
lious man, it became Satan's object, through deceit or
violence, either to prevent the knowledge of that Saviour,
or to con'upt and nullify the faith which would lead to
salvation through Him.

It shall therefore be my endeavour to ti'ace the Enemy's
path in his various forms of Antichrist, from the begin-
ning until the period of his final defeat. Let me, there-
fore point out to you —

I. The characteristics of the opponents of Chiist.

II. The best means of detecting them.

III. The evidence they afford to the truth of Christianity.

I. TTie characteristics of the opponents of Christ,

'^ Yea, hath God said,"t was the first suggestion of the
Deceiver, by which he would raise a doubt in the mind
of Eve. He then proceeds to a positive assertion that
" they should not sm*ely die," and thereby instils un-
belief. His next step is to present the idea of a greater
good than they at present enjoyed, and thus was Eve,
by degi'ees, deluded into the sin of disobedience.

Human nature having transgressed, and become liable

* Gen. iii. 15, f Gen. iii. 1.

i

to the penalty of deaths God appointed a sacrifice, by
which man is taught the desert of sin, and yet the way
in which, through an innocent Substitute, he could obtain
mercy. Abel, in faith, brings the firstlings of his flock
as an off*eiing for sin, but Cain, " who was of that wicked
one," rejects the typical atonement, and hating the faith
and obedience of his brother, deprives him of his life.
Thus early, the leading characteristics of Antichrist,
deceit and violence, were displayed.

In the family of Seth, the worship of the true God was
still continued, but in process of time it was so mingled
with false worship, that at length, the light remaining
only with Noah, the rest of the world was swept away
by the flood. Again was the olive branch of peace held
forth, and at the commencement of this new era of our
world, Noah approached God with the appointed burnt-
offerings ; but, though the light continued to glimmer
amongst his descendants, it seems to have been nearly
extinguished, when it was again rekindled in the person
of Abraham, and he, with his descendants, Isaac, Jacob,
and Joseph, bore faithfiil witness to that light imtil it
sank in Egyptian darkness.

After a time Moses appeared, and by him it pleased
God to repubHsh the law of love, and to establish a
typical dispensation among the Jewish people. Then
was the malice of Satan again stirred up to defeat this
gracious purpose, and by the imitation of the miracles
wrought by Moses, he contrived to keep the people of
Egypt in their delusion, and no sooner had the children
of Israel crossed the Red Sea, and escaped irom the
rage of their enemies, than they were led to corrupt
their faith in the one true God, by worshipping Him
imder the symbol of a golden calf. The zeal of Moses
soon put an end to this delusion, but the spirit of it
seems to have remained amongst them, for in after time
Jeroboam diew ten of the tribes aside to idolatiy, and
by substituting the calves of Dan and Bethel for the
true worship at Jerusalem, provoked the Lord to cast
them out.

8

In Judah was God still known ; but false prophets
arose, " the priests bare iiile by their means, and the
people loved to have it so," till at length the two remain-
ing tiibes, Judah and Benjamin, were sent to be puiiiied
in the furnace of Babylon. But the Most High deli-
vered them from then* captivity, because He had foretold,
by the patriai'ch Jacob, that " the sceptre should not
depart from Judah till Shiloh should come/'* And he
had also sworn by an oath to David, that He would
raise up a son to set on his throne in whom it should be
established for ever.

I need not dwell on the violence of the Enemy in the
persecutions of Daniel and his companions ; neither on
the still more universal oppression of the Jews under
Antiochus ; nor enlarge on the opposition made by San-
ballat and Tobiah, in order to prevent the restoration of
the pm-e worship at Jerusalem. The prophet Zechariah
infonns us, that Satan was then seen in vision, as
*' standing at the right hand of Joshua to resist him."*

At length the fulness of time arrived when the Son of
God was to be manifested, to destroy the works of the
De\Tl. No sooner was his birth announced than Herod,
into whose hands the sceptre had now fallen, sought,
both by stratagem and force, to take away his life. And
when our blessed Lord was about to begin his ministry,
the wily foe endeavom-ed to Im-e liim from his work, but
in vain. Our great Deliverer in single combat foiled
the Adversary, drove him from the field, and by suffer-
ing on the cross for tlie sins of men, virtually conquered
him for ever.

But it was in the council of God, that his clim-ch
should still carry on the conflict, and both the Acts of
the Apostles and their Epistles to the chm-ches bear
ample testimony to the violence and deceit with which the
enemy tried, both to oppose and corrupt the ti'uth. —
Previous to the Roman Empii'e professing the faith of
Christ, violence was the weapon resorted to, in order to
subdue the early Christians, but when that weapon could

* Gen. xlix. 10. f Zcch. iii. 1.

0

no longer avail, by mingling error with truth, he be-
guiled his unwary victims. Ignorance and bigotry, with
ambition and violence, ranged themselv es on his side, and
pure christian truth was obscured for ages, when God,
(who " chooses the weak things of this world to confound
the mighty,"*) called from his cell the monk of Wit-
tenburgh, and placing in his hand the thunderbolts of
Heaven, shook the system of corruption to its centre.

Such are some of the various foims of Antichrist, under
which the characteristics of Satan may be traced from
the beginning of time until now. St. John, indeed,
alludes to those which especially prevailed in his day,
such as denying the sinftilness of human nature, and
the divinity, humanity, and Messiahship of our Lord ;
but, however various or munerous their forms may be,
the Christian need never be ignorant of his devices. I
^vill therefore proceed to point out —

II. — The best means of detecting them.

In the execution of the great work of redemption,
Messiah was to fulfil the t&eefold office of Prophet,
Priest, and King. Whatsoever, therefore, opposes itself
to Him in either of these three offices is an Antichrist.
Though om- Saviour inay be said to have exercised the
prophetic office only during his personal ministry on
earth, yet it was his Sphit which spoke by all the Pro-
phets, " testifying before hand the sufferings of Christ,
and the glory which should foUow."f Every attempt,
therefore, to set aside the inspiration of the Holy Scrip-
tures, and every idea that would convey a doubt of their
sufficiency, is opposed to His prophetic office ; and every
addition to them as an article of faith, or any omission by
which a partial view only is taken, so that one truth is
made to oppose or neutralize another, is anti-christian.
" The law of the Lord is perfect, the testimony of the
Lord is sure, the statutes of the Lord are right." J

InfaUibility is to be found in the Scriptures alone ; not

* 1 Cor. i. 27. t 1 Pet. i. 1 1. + Ps. xix. 17.

10

in the Fathers, for tliey differed ; not in Councils, for
they have erred ;* not in any man, nor in any body of
men, for they are all fallible, except the Prophets and
Apostles, who never differ, never err, never deceive ;
but are infalhble, because they ^^ spake as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost/'f

As to the Sacerdotal office, whatever conveys the idea
of human merit, or would add any thing to the obedience
imto death of our Redeemer, as the meritorious cause of
our justification, is anti-chiistian. Jesus is the only way
to the everlasting mansions, the only door to the abodes
of bhss ; and as there is no other sacrifice for sin than that
which was once offered on the cross, so there is no other
Mediator between God and man, but the man, Christ
Jesus. The Scriptures are as jealous of this truth as they
are of the unity of the Divine Natm-e, therefore whoever
proposes any other medium of approach to God, or who-
ever directly or indirectly imdermines the true advocacy
of our Lord, is an Antichrist. It is the incense of this
High Priest alone which perfumes our prayers ; it is his
blood alone which cleanses from all sin. " I am the
way, the ti'uth, and the life ; no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me."J

As to the Regal office of our Redeemer, whosoever
would set aside the precepts of the Gospel as the rule of
a behever's Hfe, is an Antichrist ; for " The grace of
God, which bringeth salvation, teaches us, that denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should Hve soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present world." § It is
by the discharge of personal, relative, and social duties
that we let our light shine before men, and adorn the
docti'ine of God our Sa^iom-. This is the love of God,
that we keep his commandments, and His command-
ments are not giievous. This is true Christianity, and
if om- faith thus work by love, and manifest itself in obe-
dience, we shall be prepared to meet Him whenever He
appears, to put down every Antichrist, as King of Kings
and Lord of Lords.

* Art. 21. t 2 Pet, i. 21. + John xiv. 6. § Titui ii. 12, 13.

11

Now let me shew you —

III. — The evidence which these opponents of Christ afford
to the truth of Christianity.

We have to admire that wisdom of God by which the
wrath of man is made to praise Him. We might tremble
for the truth, when we consider the number, the deceit,
and the violence of its opponents, were we not assured
that they do but confirm it ; because —

First, — Their rise and fall are foretold in Scripture.
The book of Psalms, and all the Old Testament Prophets,
very frequently allude to the opposing power ; but in
the New Testament, " the Spirit speaketh expressly that
in these latter times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils ',
speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their consciences seared
with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, commanding to ab-
stain from meats."* Of these characteristics we have
had a long and mournful display in Cluistendom, and
they have prepared the way for '' the scoffers walking
after their own lusts, and saying, where is the promise
of his coming ?"f and " denying the only Lord God,
and our Lord Jesus Christ ;"f and thus are we entering
upon "those last days, in which perilous times shall
come ; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, co-
vetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to pa-
rents, unthankftd, unholy, without natural affection,
truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despi-
sers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded,
lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God."§ All this
have we seen manifested during the French Revolution,
and we see its continuance in the spirit of infidelity and
atheism of the present day.

Beloved bretlu'en, perilous times are come. What is
Chartism, but opposition to all human government?
What is Socialism, but opposition to all moral and reli-

• 1 Tim.iT. 1. 2, 3. f 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4. J Jud« 4. § 2 Tim. iiL 1,2,3,4.

12

gious control, or Infidelity under its most dangerous
form, because, whilst it approaches its victims in the
garb of philanthrophy, it leaves unrestrained all the sin-
ftil passions of man, and then charges on religion the
evils which religion alone could mitigate or remove.
And, alas ! that I should have to add, tha-t even among
om'selves, men arise, " drawing away disciples after
them." From whence come the unhappy divisions in
the very bosom of our own Church, but from Him who
knows that a house divided against itself cannot stand.
Do we not discern, in these '' signs of the times," the
" mystery of iniquity" distinctly at work ? Is not Satan
transforming liimself into an angel of light, to deceive,
if it were possible, the very elect ?

Beloved brethren, there is no mystery in open ungod-
liness and sin. There is no mystery in the drunkard
over his cups, — the miser counting his gold, — ^the volup-
tuary seeking his pleasure, — or in the midnight robber,
whose hands are stained with blood : — ^but it is a mystery
when error assumes the garb of truth, and when learned
and pious men are allured from the word of God to
human traditions, — from the power of religion to its
forms and ceremonies. It is a mystery when learned
and pious men, withhi the pale of our Church, uphold
doctrines contrary to her Articles and Liturgy, and op-
pose the very principles they have sworn to protect. It
IS a mystery when learned and pious men, who would
slnink with horror from doing any thing contrary to the
name of Jesus of Nazareth, are yet allowing themselves
to be drawn and are drawing others from the simplicity
which is in Christ. Satan well knows, that on minds
like these, the darts of temptation to sin would fall harm-
less. Indeed, it is worthy of notice, that those who
have inti'oduced eiTor m doctrine have not unfrequently
been men ascetic and self-denying in practice, while it
is also to be lamented that some who have been cori'ect
in doctrine, have held the truth in imrighteousness : but
the piety of the former should not of necessity recommend
their principles, because '' Angels abode not in the truth."

13

Adam fell from a state of imiocence, and the Apostle
Peter was rebuked to his face because he eiTed upon
this very point, the doctrine of justification by faith alone.
Thus we see, that through deceit, old errors are creep-
ing in under a new name, which threaten to undermine
the foundation of our apostolic Church. Let the minis-
ters and members of that Church rise up and protest
against these errors, while they affectionately exhort
then' erring brethren to retrace their steps, and abide by
the principles of Reformers and Martyrs.

But we have still to notice that these Antichrists also
afford strong evidence to the truth of Christianity, inas-
much as —

Secondly, — They never have been able to substantiate
any charge against it. Apostates from a false religion
have always secrets to disclose injurious to its cause, but
no charge has ever been substantiated against the reUgion
of Christ. Pilate is constrained to declare, " I find no
fault in him."* And Judas, the treacherous disciple,
exclaimed, " I have betrayed the innocent blood.^f
Nay, its foes are even made to advance the cause they
would fain destroy. The blood of Abel and all the
Martyrs was the seed of the Church. The Israelites
multiplied in proportion as they were oppressed. The
fires of persecution have cast light upon the truth ; and
the crucifixion of Christ was the salvation of the world.
Such has been the conflict carried on from Abel's
time unto the present day, and it will continue, under
the various forms of avowed enemies, false brethren, or
mistaken friends, until He shall come, who is emphati-
cally The Antichrist to head the confederated hosts.
Surely we five in times when " coming events seem to
cast their shadows before ;" signs multiply upon us, both
at home and abroad ; and if the Antichrists of St. John's
time gave proof that his were the last days of the Jewish
dispensation, should not the many Antichrists of our
own time afibrd evidence that we are in the la^t days of

* John xix« 6. fMatt, szvii. 4.

14

tlie Gentile dispensation, and warn us of the quick ap-
proach of that Man of Sin, whom " the Lord will con-
sume with the spirit of his mouth, and destroy with the
brightness of his coming."*

Beloved Brethren,

We live in " a world which still lieth in wicked-
ness," or in the power of the evil one, except where the
standard of the cross is raised. We see clearly demon-
strated that there are two kingdoms, the one of light,
the other of darkness, and to one of these kingdoms
each of us must belong. There can be no neutraUty.
Satan is still the tempter : although he may change
his form, his nature is the same. He can suit his
temptations to eveiy individual, and alter the mode of
his attack to meet the varying cu'cumstances of the
Church.

In om* favoured country the Gospel sounds throughout
the land, nor can the enemy any longer prevail, either
by deceit or violence, to keep us from some knowledge
of the truth ; it has therefore become his interest rather
to permit men to go certain lengths in rehgion, so far
as it may be necessary to luU the conscience to rest, but
not far enough to save the soul. He cares not by what
means he secures his victims. We may imagine him to
have a peculiar satisfaction in leading them along the
smooth but downward path of self deception, until they
fall into the snare that he has laid for them. We live,
indeed, in a christian land, but the important point to
be ascertained is. Are we Cliristians ? Great are our
external privileges — great should be our spiritual attain-
ments. But a fearful coalition seems now to be formed
between the Church and the world, between God and
mammon, which His word declares can never be served
together.

Alas ! the spirit of Antichrist is in every heart by
nature, and reigns there as the strong man armed, until

♦ 2 Thew. ii. 8,

15

a stronger than he cometh to dispute the sovereignty.
That conflict, then, begins between nature and grace,
which is so forcibly described in the 7th of the Romans,
a conflict in which nothing but the aid of God's Holy
Spirit can bring us off victorious.

Beloved brethren, in the last verse of my text may
be found the application of the whole subject. Learn,
First, The insecurity of a nominal profession, " They
went out from us because they were not of us." Hence
the absolute necessity of being rooted and grounded in
the faith of God our Sa\iour Jesus Christ. Without
this strong foundation, the mind of man is open to every
breath of temptation, and liable to be canied about with
every wind of doctrine.

Learn, Secondly, The stability of a true conversion.
" If they had been of us, they would no doubt have con-
tinued with us." The true Christian may be drawn
aside, or driven out of his course for a time, but, like the
magnetic needle, true to the pole, he will tremble until
he regain his point of rest, and that rest is in Christ.
Let me congratulate you on being members of a Church
which aflbrds such ample means to secure the stabiHty
of her members. She appeals to Scripture, and to
Scripture alone, as the all-sufficient rule of faith. She
has provided in her services for the daily reading of it,
and its spirit is embodied in her admirable Liturgy. She
brings us before God in our proper character as sinners.
She fixes our hopes on the Lord Jesus Christ as a
Saviour, and she leads us perpetually to pray for the
guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit to counteract
all the devices of the evil one. Then search the Scrip-
tures daily, and pray for the blessing of a true conver-
sion, for we know not how soon om' sincerity may be
tested. Therefore be upon your guard : it will not do
to rest in the mere reception of the sacraments, — on the
strictest outward observance, — but we must look through
all to Christ himself. He is our hope and our motive, —
He is our example and our stx'ength ; therefore let us

16

addi-ess Him in the comprehensive words of our Litany,
" That it may please thee to lead into the way of truth
all such as have erred and are deceived ; to strengthen
such as do stand ; to comfort and help the weak-hearted ;
to raise up them that fall ; and, finally, to beat down
Satan under om- feet."

T. Ragg and Co. Printers, 16, Spiceal-street, Birmingliam.

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